Chain Saws
 

Well I just bought another saw, more of a midsizer in my lineup of 4. I bought a used Husky 359 with a 24" bar, for $300 even, not a bad deal in my book. Anyway, I know there are tricks with each saw, and on my other 2 I have run into other guys running them, and we have exchanged secrets (what bar oil to run when, what pre-mix to use and in what ratio, how to tweak the carbs, and so on). So I was curious to what you guys run, and what kind of tips you have come across over the years. To give you some idea of what I'm running, it starts out with an old (30+ years) Stihl arborist saw that hasn't run well since I got it a few years ago, but its small enough that I can climb with it if I need to. Then comes my 16" Husky 340e, just a nice all around small saw for limbing and bucking small stuff. Now I have added the 359 with the 24" bar, which will probably become my new faller and the replacement for my long hated MS440 Stihl... Then I have a 395XP that is the workhorse faller and bucker on large lots, with a 32" and a 36" bar it'll take down anything I want, with power to spare.

So what about you guys? What do you run, and how do you run it?

I got a Husky 142 16" that I really like. It's never let me down. The only "gripe" I have is that when sitting for awhile the bar chain oil drains out. I don't have any place to have it looked at up here, so I just empty all the fluids when I put it away.
What are some of teh "tricks" if you can share?

Well, we live in way different places, so keep that in mind. I don't run a 142 so I don't know a lot about your saw, but here's some of the things I do with mine.

1. Keep a sharp blade, your probably running a .325 pitch chain for that size saw, I keep it sharpened to a 25* blade angle, if you have enough power run with a 30* or even a 27* if you can find a guide that'll let you use it. My big saws all get a 30* cutting angle, and I've run as high as 35* on the 395 saw, just for kicks though, it doesn't hold an edge well if your cutting through bark with that much angle.

2. Adjust your bar oil pump if you can, general rule of thumb is when you fill up with fuel, you should need to fill up on bar oil. I run mine with a little less flow, just so I know that I'll have oil running onto the bar as long as I have fuel. If you set it up to feed too much your going to kill your chain.

3. Use the right bar oil!!! I can't say this enough... Motor oil does not work! It will gum up your sprocket, your chain, and eventually your clutch. Its cheap stuff for how much you use. Also make sure your running the right oil, winter for winter, summer for summer. Running summer oil in the winter will kill chains, as its usually too thick for the oil pump to move. Being in Alaska I think you'd probably run winter all the time. Once it hits 50* here I switch over to winter oil.

4. Keep the chain tight! More guys get injured from loose chains than falling branches. Remember, once the chain is loose and pops off, the best chain brake in the world isn't gonna stop it.

5. Use the right pre-mix, and use it in the right ratio. Husky's are known for being sensitive to this, but they should be, without using the right stuff, kiss your nice new chainsaw goodbye. I run either Husqvarna brand oil, or woodsman pro (or whatever its called, check out Baileysonline.com for what I'm talking about), in a 50:1 mix, if its hot out I'll run it in a 45:1 mix, as it seems to run a little better. And personally, my saws are like my tools, they only get the best. Run them on at least 89 octane fuel, when its hot I run them on 91, or 93 if they don't have 91. Also, if your state doesn't set strict regulations on ethanol use, be careful what you buy. Ethanol will strip your cylinder walls, bearings, and piston pins of oil, so never run anything higher than 10% Ethanol in your saw (same goes for all your 2-stroke engines). If you question it, get an ethanol tester, its not that expensive, and rebuilding a chainsaw engine isn't all that fun.

6. If your going to store your equipment, a lot of guys like to drain them... DON'T! I know your dads did, and his dad did, and so on... but newer equipment has different seals, in things like your fuel tank, your hoses, your carb, and so on. If you drain the tank and let it sit, these seals and hoses and such start to dry out and will eventually crack or rot. Most pre-mix contains a fuel stabilizer, just check the label. This means you can let it sit for a month or two at a time, no problem. If your going to store it over the winter time, a simple solution is Sta-Bil (I don't work for them or anything, its just a good product). Put in a cap full of it, and your saw will be fine all year.

7. Filters people, FILTERS! I know we are all pretty anal about what filters we run in our trucks, and we should be, but why do people neglect their saws and power equipment. Sooner or later they require filters too! Husky's are nice with the air injection, because we rarely have to change filters, but you still have to change them sooner or later. I do mine once a year, but they get run a lot, most guys could go 2-3 years without worrying. And you know you have a fuel filter right? Most guys don't... Pull the cap on your tank, drain it, get some loooonnnnnggggg pliers, and grap the plastic looking thing at the end of your fuel pickup/fuel line, thats a filter! Its cheap too, about $3 around here. I replace mine once every 2 years, probably overkill, but its cheap.

8. Last thing, we are all guilty of it... SAFETY. How many of us put on a hard hat and chaps and gloves and muffs and a face shield and, and, and... I know I don't, do you? I've been getting a lot better about this stuff. The big thing is a hard hat at least if your felling trees, and of course safety glasses or a face shield or both. I know some guys don't think of other things, like if your cutting somewhere where poison ivy, poison oak, or hemlock, or other poisonous plants are, wear a dust mask! I've seen the effects of what breathing poison ivy chips can do to a guy (it laid up one of my buddies in the hospital for over a week, but he's really allergic to the stuff), it doesn't look like fun. If your doing a lot of sawing, put on some chaps, or at least some good tough double denim jeans, most accidents happen when your tired or fatigued, and a good pair of pants or chaps can save you a lot of blood, which is a hard thing to come by in the middle of the woods. And the biggest thing (I think), STEEL TOED BOOTS (with met guards if you can stand to wear them). I like my toes, do you? I'd like to be able to walk out and fire up the saw without a special pair of shoes and a walker... I know prosthetics have come a long way in the last 5 years, but I can't seem to find a good replacement toe that I like. How about you?

Well thats it, lessons over... If you have any other questions feel free to ask, and if I missed anything (I'm sure I did) add it!

Husky all the way. They make the best yard equipment in my personal experience. My old man's Husky was just donated for parts last year and it was 30 years old - burned oil really bad but still worked great.

I will be replacing it soon with another that has a 30" bar on it.

I only use jonsered almost the same as husky. 670 champ,2159,2186 and a few others.I think the 2186 is the same as the 359 husky I think. the jred run a little higher rmps.

Well, if you mod the muffler and tune the carb a little richer you can make another horsepower out of a 359... The e-tech saws have a cat in the muffler that really holds the heat, drill a couple holes in them (get a non cat muffler first) and richen up the carb and your good to go!

Thanks MOM. :bow2: You have a plethora of knowledge. I'll have to get some winter bar oil. Didn;t know there was a diff. I came from South Texas, so I'm betting I have summer blend.